Smoke-consumer



(No Model.) I I .MU L SMOKE CONSUMER No. 550,284. Patented Nov. 26, 195.

FIGJZ NITED STATES ROBERT H. MULLEN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SMOKE-CONSUMER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,284, dated November26, 1895.

Application filed April 17, 1893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT H. MULLEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Smoke Consumers;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to those steam-boiL ers having smoke-consumingappliances that automatically admit steam and air into theboiler-furnace as soon as its fire-door is opened for the purpose ofadding fresh fuel, the steam and air being gradually and automaticallyshut oif after said door is closed; and my improvement comprises aspecial combination of devices for effecting the above-describedoperations, the details of said devices being hereinafter more fullyexplained, and then set forth in the claim.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a steam-boilerprovided with my improved smoke-consumer, which is seen in its normalposition. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the apparatus. Fig.3 is a horizontal section of sufficient of the furnace to indicate thegeneral arrangement of the steam -nozzles. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionthrough the cataract-gear or dash-pot. Fig. 5 is a detail view.

A represents the front plate of a steamboiler setting. I3 B are ash-pitdoors of the same, and O O are the fire-doors of the furnace, saidfire-doors being provided with openings closed by flaps or registers c ofor a purpose that will presently appear. Secured to this front plateare bearings a a,within which a horizontal shaft D is journaled, saidshaft being situated a slight distance above the firedoors and havingfour grooved disks E E F G keyed to it, the disks E E being providedwith chains or wire ropes ee. These chains or other flexible connections0 e are carried down in front of the disks and then secured to the freeedges of the flaps o c. f is a similar connection, attached to the diskF, then carried down behind the latter and secured to a lug II of thefiredoor O, which may be opened by a handle h. The other disk G has asimilar connection 9 wound around it and Serial No. 470,728. a. model.)

chain is carried up and over a grooved sheave J and connected to the rodis of a piston K, that travels up and down within a cylinder or dash-potL, the latter being securely attached to the plate A. This cylinder hasat bottom an inlet-valve, which may consist of a flexible diaphragm Z,applied over an opening,that will readily admit air when the piston K israised. (See Fig. 4.) Z is a cock capable of being set to regulate thespeed at which the piston shall descend, and Z" are openings that permita free passage of air into and out of the upper part of the cylinder.Furthermore, the rod is has attached to it a cup M,loaded with shot orother weights that restore all the operative parts of the apparatus totheir normal positions after the furnace-doors are closed. Projectingfrom the grooved sheave J is a lever j, to which is attached one end ofa rod N, whose other end is connected to a lever O, that operates anysuitable form of butterflyvalve or other cut-off fitted within a shell0, said cut-off being arranged to regulate the supply of steam flowingthrough a main pipe P, which proceeds from the boiler, as indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 2. Attached to this main pipe are branches R R,carried down on opposite sides of the boiler and provided with anydesired number of nozzles 1' r',that usually enter the fire-box S in themanner seen in Fig. 3. Reference to this illustration shows that therear nozzles project squarely through the side walls of the boiler,while the central nozzles are somewhat inclined toward the bridge-wallT, and the front nozzles are still more inclined. This arrangement,however, is merely optional, not imperative, an d has nothing whateverto do with the leading idea of my invention. sis an opening that may bemade in the furnacewalls to admit air, if desired. In the normalcondition of my smoke consumer all the operative parts thereof assumethe positions seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the doors 0 O and flaps c 0 beingnow closed and piston K at the bottom of cylinder L. Again, in thisnormal condition of the apparatus, it is preferred to have ICO a limitedquantity of steam issue from the nozzles r "I", soas to insure a gooddraft, which constant flow can be effected by arranging the cut-olf orbutterfly-valve in such a manner that it will never be entirely closed,or the same result can be effected by perforating said valve. Such beingthe ordinary arrangement of all the operative parts, it is evident thatsteam flows from the main pipe P into its branches R R, and from thelatter it escapes through the nozzles r "I" and produces cross jets orcurrents within the fire-box, which jets effeet a complete combustion offuel under ordinary circumstances; but when fresh coal is introduced amuch larger quantity of steam is required. This introduction of freshcoal is accomplished by opening the door 0, and as it swings on itshinges the chain f pulls on the disk F and turns it in the direction ofthe arrow seen in Fig. 5, and as shaft D is attached to said disk,and asthe other disks E E G are secured to said shaft, it is apparentthesedevices D E E F G must revolve in unison. Consequently the chains 6 eare wound around the disks E E, thereby opening the flaps c c, and atthe same time the rope g is coiled around the disk G, which actgradually lowers the weight I, an (1 simultaneously pulls the piston Kup to the top of cylinder L. As the rope g is thus coiled, the lever jof sheave J swings to the right, completely opens the butterfly valve 0,and permits a full head of Y steam to be discharged into the furnace.This full discharge continues while the furnace is being filled, becausethe open position of door 0 prevents any retrograde turning of shaft D.As soon, however, as'this door is closed, the loaded cup M beginsimmediately to turn said shaft backward, thereby uncoiling the chains ee from the disks E E and permitting the flaps c c to close the openingsin fire-doors O C. This closure takes place with more or less rapidity,and by the time said flaps are completely shut the piston K will havereached the bottom of cylinder L, and the supply of steam will again bereduced to a minimum.

The time set for the closure of the flaps will vary with circumstances,but usually from three to six minutes will be suflicient, and the periodcan be regulated with the utmost nicety by properly adjusting the smallcock Z. When this cock is left wide open the piston K will descend quiterapidly and permit a quick closure of the flaps, while their gradualclosure will be effected by letting the air escape very slowly from thecylinder.

From the above description it is evident that my apparatus needs nospecial attention after being once properly adjusted, as it willautomatically admit a full supply of steam through the furnace-nozzlesonly when the fire-doors are opened, and then thesupply will beautomatically reduced to a minimum within a few minutes after they areclosed.

I claim as my invention- The combination, in a smoke consumer, ofsteam-pipes R, R, having a common cut-oflf 0, and nozzles r, 7', whichnozzles are inserted within the furnace, a fire door 0, having a flap orregister 0, a shaft D, having three disks E, F, G, secured to it, acoupling e connecting flap 0 with disk E, a coupling fconnecting door Owith disk 1*, a coupling gsecuredto disk G, and provided at one end witha weight I, a cataract gear to which the other end of said coupling g isattached, and mechanism actuated by this coupling and operating saidcut-off in the manner described, and for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT H. MULLEN. lVitnesses y JAMES H. LAYMAN, ARTHUR MOORE.

